The Orange went 8-1 on the Big East road last year, en route to a 17-1 overall record. In the past three seasons, SU has gone 8-1, 6-3 and 8-1 away from home in conference games. The Orange, over the course of its Big East tenure, has compiled a 155-115 road record. Only Syracuse and Louisville, with its 33-28 road record in a significantly smaller sample size, have achieved conference road records above .500.

This year, with three road games left to play, the Orange is 3-3 away from the Carrier Dome. The wins came at South Florida, Providence and Louisville. The losses occurred at Villanova, Pittsburgh and Connecticut.

Heading to New Jersey to play Seton Hall tonight (8 p.m., Big East Network), the Orange has dropped three straight road games. SU has not lost three consecutive road games since the 2008-09 season, when the Orange lost five straight on the road.

“Arkansas is the toughest place we’ve played in and we won there,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “Every place we played was tough. Providence was tough. All those places were tough. I don’t think you win a lot on the road in this league or any league. And we’ve lost to teams that I think are good and played well.”

Boeheim believes several factors determine how well a team performs on the road. A team’s maturity is a mitigating factor, he said. But Boeheim suggested player personnel on both teams plays a more vital role in determining road success.

In other words, it’s no coincidence that last year’s 34-3 Syracuse team was a good road team. That Orange edition was a good team in general, regardless of where it played.

Syracuse lost at Villanova and at Pittsburgh this season without James Southerland, who was lodged in academic limbo. The Orange lost at Connecticut with a more robust roster, though Dajuan Coleman did not play and continues to rehabilitate from knee surgery.

In the Big East thus far this season, home teams are winning 59 percent of their games. In the previous three Big East seasons, here’s the combined record for conference home teams:

Nobody, though, is suggesting that it’s as easy to win on the road as it is at home.

Syracuse forwards C.J. Fair and James Southerland have spent enough time on the road these past few seasons to understand what it takes to win there.

Connecticut's Ryan Boatright celebrates with students after an NCAA college basketball game win against Syracuse in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. Connecticut won 66-58. AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Contrary to what we might believe, the two Syracuse players said the crowd noise in opposing arenas does not intimidate them or cause them to play any differently.

“The crowd doesn’t necessarily affect us,” Southerland said, “it affects the way their team plays. As long as the crowd’s into it, they just have more confidence.”

“I don’t think the loudness of the gym affects us,” Fair said. “It just helps them play better.”

Fair said that Syracuse’s perch atop the Big East standings the past couple seasons has offered extra incentive for opponents to beat the Orange in their own building.

“Teams always play their best at home,” he said. “For us to be one of the top teams in the Big East, everybody wants to knock us off. They come with that extra fire. And we gotta be ready for that every game. Sometimes, we’re not.”

Big East coaches were asked, during their weekly conference call, about the perils of playing on the road. Here’s a sampling of what they said:

Georgetown coach John Thompson III: “I think it’s probably all encompassing. There’s something to the phrase ‘Home court advantage.’ The opposition’s fans are part of the equation. The fact that they’re sleeping in their own beds the night before and you’re in a hotel could be part of the equation. You’re just more comfortable at home.”

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin: “I’m a believer that the road is a little over-rated. I think it’s more personnel related. I haven’t really looked at it (seriously). What I would say is where the home venue would help would be the underdog team. In my opinion, the so-called underdogs maybe get a bump from the home crowd. I would think that for teams like Louisville and Syracuse — when you go on the road and you’re a highly ranked team against an underdog, you definitely see a wilder, crazier environment for the home team. But I think in the majority of the games, I don’t see it as that big of a factor.”

Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon: “We’ve been fortunate. I think we’ve had the best record in the conference in the last 10 years or so on the road. You try to make it as similar as you can to a home game and not treat it differently. But we’ve been good on the road this year as far as our focus and coming together. It’s been good for us. But it’s tough. Sometimes travel can be an issue. Teams tend to be more aggressive on their home court. You know you’re going to be in a tight game. You’re going to have some guys probably in foul trouble. And you gotta prepare to have a couple different options. You gotta have a first, second, third option in what you’re doing defensively, even rotation-wise. Be prepared for that, because you’re probably not going to be able to go and do it with your first eight guys and doing what you do every single day at home.”

DePaul’s Oliver Purnell: “I think the main thing is there’s good teams and good players. There are some really good venues. Notre Dame’s one of the toughest places to play in. The last two times out we probably played in two of the toughest places in America in Marquette and Notre Dame. And I think that their home win streaks speak to that. But more importantly, they’re well-coached teams with good players.”